Darkness Rises, Shadows Fall
by Shattered Spectre
Summary: Before Team RWBY and before "Blame and Burden", there was Hydar. Training with his father was his life, and now he's old enough to move up to a combat school and increase his abilities. His abilities will be tested as Hydar meets a mysterious talent scout who offers him a chance at the school for Hunters, Beacon. You will follow Hydar through all the events of B&B through his eyes.
1. New Days

Darkness Rises, Shadows Fall: Chapter One

**What this is: **This is set in time before Blame and Burden and years before Team RWBY existed. This will follow the story of our OC, Shadow, up until the end of B&B. If you have not read that story, I suggest you do as it will give some insight on what is going to be happening here. Now, without further delay, I present Darkness Rises, Shadows Fall!

* * *

Hydar observed his surroundings upside down. Trees, fallen logs, an old fashioned lantern lay here and there. The air smelled of smoke, meaning his cabin was nearby. The sun had gone down a few minutes ago, contributing to his current predicament. The faint outline of a man resting against an old tree was within his vision.

"You know," Hydar calmly spoke, hanging by his ankles, "You could have found a better way to keep me on my toes than to have me in the air."

"And you could have learned to not be overconfident in your abilities." The man retorted.

"Thanks dad. You'd think after a few years of this, you'd know by now that I slip up once every so often. I'm human too."

"So what _is_ the goal here, be your punching bag or sleep upside down for another night?"

"Well let's see," His dad moved into the faint light of a lantern. "You have your semblance, your weapons," He looked up, "The tree is fairly old, I say you could break the branch with a little effort. You're hanging by wire, and your blades could make short work of it."

It was true. His weapons alone would be enough to get him down: A combat suit of finely woven carbyne, a carbon based material known to be one of the strongest and lightest fibers in existence. It was made like an armored body suit with full plating and lined with tactical equipment. His favorite part however, was the joint blades. They were rigged with neural sensors, allowing him to trigger a blade to spring from any one of his major joints. The suit was crafted by both of his parents: his mother, a tailor, and his father, a master weapons designer.

His dad moved closer, keeping his eyes trained on his son. Hydar assessed his features quickly, even though he had seen the man every day for his entire life. He had to be cautious, making sure no tricks were being played. Bald head, wrinkled forehead, plain grey shirt, loose blue jeans, black combat boots, tall, muscled, same old worn out military look.

"_Nothing obvious…" _Hydar thought, slowly swinging in the wind.

"I know how to get myself down, I just want to know if I should be prepared to defend myself afterwards."

"Find out."

Hydar narrowed his eyes. A plan came together easily. He hung several feet in the air, just enough time to activate his semblance after getting free.

Without breaking eye contact, Hydar sprung a blade from the underside of his wrist and sliced the wire with an effortless swipe. A quick midair flip brought him to the ground in a crouched position. Looking up at his father, he smiled, awaiting a strike or order.

"Well," His father said returning the smile, "It looks like we're done for the day; it's too late to be out here messing around."

Hydar stood up, his smile changing to a disappointed frown. "Oh come on…" He muttered, turning around to begin the short walk back home.

A tingle went down his spine and he activated his semblance out of reflex, dissipating into thin air. Reappearing a few feet away, he looked back at his father with an aggravated scowl and held up two knives that he had snagged.

"You know, one of these days I'm going to slip up and you'll kill me doing that!" He called out in an irritated tone.

His father simply walked toward him, took the knives, and kept walking towards their cabin.

The lanterns lit the way back, which wasn't all too far from their training grounds. The two reached the clearing in only a few minutes. They lived in a modestly large wood cabin that Hydar's father had built when he was only a baby.

Hydar walked in the front door, leaving it open for his father who walked in after him. He stopped to take another look at it. The inside was beautiful. Polished hardwood floor, a fireplace, and hand crafted chandelier made the building look as though a king lived there. It was all crafted by Hydar's father, who was a skilled blacksmith, mason, and weapons maker. Two beds sat against the far wall with the fireplace in between them. A dining area was set up to the right of the door, and kitchen to the left. It was truly home sweet home.

"Tomorrow's your big day," His father said, "You may want to get some rest." His father said from behind him.

"Yeah, I know." Hydar replied, yawning. He went to the kitchen and pulled out a cookie. "_It's going to be a sleepless night…" _He thought.

Indeed it was. Fading in and out of consciousness, Hydar was soon lulled to sleep by the sound of crackling fire and the smell of burning wood.

"_Why is it so cold out here_?" Hydar thought. His own words echoed inside his head and faded.

_"What is going on?" _His thoughts continued on.

The scene in front of him was empty. Not just black, but a void. It seemed to be calling out to him, drawing him closer.

"_Soon_..."He had heard the word like it had come from his own mind.

Light began shifting from the nothing that surrounded him. Slow images began shaping, but barely visible.

A wispy voice came from all around.

"Shadow, you do know the mission was a failure, correct?"

A much more hollow voice spoke it's response.

"Yes sir, I do."

Hydar was instantly realized the scene was of the two men who were speaking, but they were phantoms against the void. Then a cold breeze blew by, scattering the scene.

"Wait!" Hydar called out. "Who's Shadow? What mission?"

Dead silence was his only answer.

A force hit his shoulder. Hydar jumped, looking around for the cause. Nothing. Another hit. He closed his eyes. A large shove and he opened his eyes.

"Who in the hell is Shadow and what is this mission you were yelling about?" Hydar's father questioned.

"I... Don't know."

* * *

**A/N: So Here we go! **This is the embodiment of all Proto and I's hard work (Yes, it doesn't seem like much, but believe me... There's more) and dedication over the past few months. We're kicking it off slow and it's just going to gain momentum as it goes! By the end, it's going to be pretty hard hitting.


	2. Letter from an Old Friend

Darkness Rises, Shadows Fall Chapter 2

* * *

Hydar got up from the couch and shook off the last of his drowsiness. The fire was had been replenished, but a chill still ran down his back from the memory of his nightmare.

Getting up, he went to his room to grab a pair of shorts and his running shoes. Quickly heHe changed clothes quickly and laced up his shoes, making sure they were on tight. There was no time for blisters today. Stretching his ankles a little while sitting on his bed, Hydar thought of all the new training he would get fromreceive at Beacon. It was a fairly new school with two graduating classes in its eight years of being open. It was also fairlyrather difficult to get into.

"Won't stop me." He muttered to himself.

Hydar had been groomed for combat since he expressed his dream of becoming a hunter, which was only a yearfew years after he could walk. His father had taught him the basics of balance and coordination at that time. Now, his semblance and, a combination of Krav Maga, and much of his other training had made him one of the most lethal weaponweapons in the kingdoms. There was no tournament he hadn't steamrolled through without effort. The only person who could force him in to submission was his father, and that was becoming an ever closing gap.

Hydar stood up before crouching down low and standing uprising again, stretching his legs thoroughly.

"Hydar! Have you not gotten started yet? It's going to be noon before you get back!" His father yelled from the doorway with a scowl.

"I wouldn't say that…" Hydar grinned back at him.

"I don't care what you think, you can't just semblance your way there and back," He sighed. "You'll overheat and get yourself killed."

"Watch me." He said, his eyes narrowed and expression grew serious.

"You better-!"

Hydar dissipated before his father could touch him.

"Damnit!" He yelled before walking out of the room and out the front door where Hydar stood waiting.

"Took you long enough." Hydar said yawning.

"You really think you're good enough to do this?"

"Well yeah. I've been practicing every day for months while you were in town."

Hydar's father smiled. "Your mother would be proud. She would say you're a 'daddy's boy'."

"Yeah. Well, you ready to see the product of going behind your back?"

"Do it."

Hydar held his arms out wide. His body turned black and blew away like sand, disappearing into the air. There was a His father stood, waiting.

Hours passed. A loud crack, like thunder and only a few seconds later, aa strong gust of wind blew and atoms regeneratedback in to place to regenerate Hydar on all fours, panting and naked in front of him.

"How many seconds?" Hydar breathed out the question.

"About three and a quarter."

"Minutes?"

"Hours. That's not bad for a mile and only a few months of training. It's understandable that you lost your clothes, they weren't exactly attached."

"Four."

"Four what?" His father asked confused.

"Four miles."

"That's not possible. Not in that time, and certainly not in only a few months."

"That's not even the best part," Hydar started laughing as he rolled on to the ground and laid on his back. "I went down four miles, so that means I had to come _back_ four miles."

Hydar's father swallowed hard. His son had just split apart on an atomic level, accelerated to hyper sonic speeds, and traveled six miles with no serious side effects a person with his semblance would experience.

And only in a few months.

"Go put some clothes on." He sighed while rubbing his temple, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

Hydar chuckled. "I was waiting to see how long it would take you to say that. Give me a minute or two, I'm enjoying the sun."

"Now!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Hydar rushed to his feet. He ached, but the feeling of pride was overwhelming. He rushed inside and got his training attire from his closet. He loved his combat suit. It was his only connection left with his mother.

When he walked back outside a few moments, his father was still was still having trouble grasping reality.

"I'm just that good." Hydar whispered as he passed his father.

"We'll see, the mail comes in a few minutes."

"Yeah, what about it? Oh, the letter."

"Yes, and we're not training today." His father tossed out casually.

"You're kidding…"

"No. Look at what you just did. I think you've done your day's fill."

Hydar groaned and went back inside to put a normal set of clothes on.

"Alright, let's go already." Hydar said walking out of his home for a second time. "If we go now, we'll be at the post office in an hour or so."

"Already got it." His father said holding up a brown document envelope.

"B-but…" Hydar stood speechless. "It's an hour's walk…"

Hydar's father strode past him with a grin almost the same as Hydar's.

"You got your semblance from me. Did I forget to tell you that?"

He walked to the door and opened it. Glancing back, he saw Hydar staring at him, mouth slightly open.

"Well come on already, I want to see the look on your face when you get denied."

Hydar changed to a glare before walking towards the door.

"That old man is a piece of work." He muttered.

Following his father in the door, his father tossed the envelope on the table and sat down at a chair.

Hydar took a chair to the side and waited.

"Well go on, open it."

Hydar took a deep breath and reached for his fate contained in the brown paper. Carefully, he popped off the wax Beacon seal and slid the paper out.

The front paper was his application form he filled out. Across the bottom was a large stamped box with "Accepted."

Underneath there was another stamp.

"Verified by: Headmaster Ozpin".

Hydar finally released his long-held breath and smiled. He was on his way to achieving his dream.

"I'll take that as a good sign," His father showed the slightest hints of relief. "What's the other pages about?"

"Let me see…" Hydar trailed off as he flipped to the next page. It was a fairly thick package. "Terms of enrollment… Nothing important, just guidelines and things to sign.

He flipped to another page.

"Details on acceptance."

"Read it."

"_Hello, Jayce Schnee Silere;Cerin; your son has demonstrated enough potential and actual talent to have his application handed to me personally by the board of directors. This is a rare case when even he thinks it should have a higher level signature. You should be proud, my friend. I have awaited his application for many years. However, he will be treated as any other accepted student. He is to report tomorrow morning to your city's airfield for transportation to Beacon. It would be recommended that you bring only necessary equipment such as clothes and needed combat tools. I have read over his profile many times, and so I know exactly what he'll be using. Tell him to wear his combat gear. Consider that tip as a gift for going so far above the rest. I wish to meet him in person, and so I will be on the airship to greet him on pick-up. I would also like to see my old school friend after these many years. Best regards, Ozpin."_

"I did not know your middle name was 'Schnee'. That's the same of the famous Schnee Dust Company in Vale," Hydar said, putting two and two together. "And you went to school with Ozpin?"

"Yes, I know. My mother was a Schnee. She gave me that middle name to remind me of the bloodline I come frommy heritage," Jayce sighed. "Also, yes, Ozpin was my partner and teammate. We were the best, but I wanted to become a hunter here after school, and he stayed. So here we are."

"How much have you not told me, _dad_?" Hydar was deeply hurt that his father would keep the origin of his semblance, his family, and his success in the dark from his own son.

"MuchFar too much. But it doesn't matter."

"Explain exactly why it doesn't." Hydar spat.

"Because, you're the best now. Go make lunch, I have some last minute things to attend to."

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**A/N: **I understand pure OC stories aren't all the rush of a normal fan-fiction, however even if you don't favorite or follow, I would appreciate any reviews. They help improve my writing and show me which direction I need to head in.


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